A new analysis of sediment taken from ancient sewer drains at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, has revealed that ancient soldiers stationed there nearly 2,000 years ago were infected with multiple parasites offering fresh insight into the health challenges faced on the empire’s northern frontier.
The study, published in Parasitology, identified eggs from roundworm, whipworm and Giardia in waste material from a 3rd century latrine. All three parasites spread through poor sanitation, often through contamination of food, water or hands.
“The three types of parasites we found could have led to malnutrition and diarrhea among the Roman soldiers, explains Marissa Ledger, a post-doctoral fellow at the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, who completed the laboratory analysis at the University of Cambridge.
“Finding parasites transmitted through ineffective sanitation suggests that other infectious pathogens were also likely circulating at the time.”
Vindolanda is one of Britain’s most significant Roman archaeological sites, renowned for the exceptional preservation of organic materials in its waterlogged soils. These include thousands of leather shoes and more than 1,000 wooden tablets written with ink documenting daily life.
The findings add nuance to long-held assumptions about Roman hygiene practices. Even though Vindolanda had communal latrines and a functioning sewer system, these measures were not enough to protect soldiers from infection.
The research team analyzed sediment from a sewer drain carrying waste from a bath complex inside the fort.
The new parasite evidence paints a clearer picture of the health risks soldiers faced in a remote and often harsh environment.
Whipworm egg. (Photo by Marissa Ledger)
“While the Romans were aware of intestinal worms, there was little their doctors could do to clear infection by these parasites or help those experiencing diarrhea. This means some soldiers could have become severely ill from dehydration during outbreaks of Giardia,” says Piers Mitchell, from the University of Cambridge, who led the study.
“This kind of work helps us understand not just what people ate or how they lived, but what made them sick and how their environment shaped their health,” says Ledger.
Vindolanda’s director of excavations, Andrew Birley, says discoveries like this continue to reshape modern understanding of the Roman frontier.
“Excavations at Vindolanda continue to find new evidence that helps us to understand the incredible challenges faced by those posted to this northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago and challenges our preconceptions about what life was really like in a Roman frontier fort and town,” he explains.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.